FORESTS
Biomass energy's dubious 'green' credentials
Jan 14, 2022
Written by
Jacob Dykes
The UK relies heavily on forest biomass to boost its renewable energy production, but ‘renewable’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘green’
Pando – the world's single largest organism – is under threat
Jan 06, 2022
Written by
Jacob Dykes
The world’s largest single organism is unprepared for the changes humans have wrought upon its ecosystem
Saving mangrove forests in the Dominican Republic
Jul 26, 2021
Written by
Bryony Cottam
A new initiative to save mangrove forests in the Dominican Republic aims to protect coastal regions and sequester carbon
New evidence suggests humans manipulated their environment with fire thousands of years ago
Jul 02, 2021
Written by
Jacob Dykes
Archaeological work around Lake Malawi suggests that humans manipulated the environment with fire many thousands of years ago
Deforestation in Brazil is 182% higher than the legal target – can international pressure stop Bolsonaro?
Feb 25, 2021
Written by
Jacob Dykes
Can international pressure stop Bolsonaro’s trampling of the Amazon?
Warmer climates are changing the composition of boreal and temperate forests
Oct 07, 2020
Written by
Jacob Dykes
A study in Northern Minnesota is experimentally heating the air and soils of forest enclosures to show how our warming climate will drastically change the composition, distribution and function of boreal and temperate forests
Demand for products produced on the back of deforestation could drive malaria risk
Aug 05, 2020
Written by
Jacob Dykes
The impacts of deforestation are wide ranging. But while some are well-known, a link with malaria is only just coming to light. Could appetites for deforestation-implicated products, such as coffee and timber, be driving malaria risk in vulnerable countries?
Long-lived pioneers: understanding the carbon-storage potential of trees
Jun 24, 2020
Written by
Jacob Dykes
To protect the forests that act as natural carbon reservoirs, researchers need to better understand how individual tree species respond to climate change
Drought may pose a bigger threat to Australia’s forests than bushfires
May 27, 2020
Written by
Abigail Spink
Recent research finds that climate change-induced drought is having a noticeable effect on the mortality rates of forests, even more so than recent bush fires
The unexplored consequences of wildfires reaching water
Mar 17, 2020
Written by
Katie Burton
The impact of wildfires on water supplies has received little attention. But with wildfires around the world getting worse, it might be time to pay more attention to how we deal with them
Why Congo’s rainforest is undervalued
Jan 13, 2020
Written by
Katie Burton
The world’s second largest tropical forest receives significantly less funding than its counterparts in other countries
Can we really plant 500 billion trees?
Aug 28, 2019
Written by
Katie Burton
The lead author of a scientific study, which claimed that planting trees has mind-blowing potential to tackle the climate crisis, reflects on the mixed response to the report
Concerns raised about Redd+ scheme to conserve forests
May 23, 2019
Written by
Katie Burton
The first payment under the Redd+ scheme to conserve tropical forests has been approved, but issues with the data supplied by participating countries could undermine its potential
Haiti looks set to be entirely wiped of its native forests
Jan 23, 2019
Written by
Chris Fitch
Several factors are contributing to extreme deforestation in Haiti, with the poor economic state of the country primary among them
How drones can save the UK’s forests
Aug 21, 2018
Written by
Steve Boreham
High-quality, affordable drones can revolutionise the way that landscape and vegetation data is collected. This short study shows how the impact of ash die-back disease can be assessed quickly in a small plot of woodland
Essential oil?
Jul 03, 2018
Written by
Chris Fitch
Palm oil is omnipresent in global consumption. But in many circles it is considered the scourge of the natural world, for the deforestation and habitat destruction which follows its production. Does this ubiquitous crop deserve to be treated with such disdain?
Outlawed logging: saving the primeval forests of Poland
May 30, 2018
Written by
Laura Cole
The European Court of Justice finds the logging of a primeval forest illegal, raising questions about future forest management
Weighing trees with lasers
Feb 22, 2018
Written by
Chris Fitch
The latest laser scanning technology reveals new insights into the lives of trees both in the UK and overseas
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